Proton
Proton was established on 7 May 1983 under the direction of former Prime Minister,Dr. Mahathir Mohamad. Based on technology and parts from Mitsubishi Motors, production of the Proton Saga, the very first model, began in September 1985. Initially, the components of the car were entirely manufactured by Mitsubishi but slowly local parts were used as technologies were transferred and skills were gained.
Proton's total workforce in Malaysia totals just over 6,000 personnel working in all areas of vehicle design, R&D, production and manufacturing. With a solid base built up since 1983, Malaysia's car manufacturing industry is progressing rapidly.
In 1993, a model called Proton Wira was introduced selling more than 220,000 units. Proton Perdana, was introduced two years later. On 8 June 2005, Proton introduced the second model to be manufactured in Tanjung Malim, the 1,200 cc 5-door super mini, the Proton Savvy.
The company has come a long way since 1983; PROTON was publicly listed on the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange in 1992, and today, Proton cars are exported to more than 50 countries worldwide. Key export markets include Australia, Singapore, the Far East and the UK; where during 2009 it celebrates 20 years in the market place.